ADDRESS  BY  WALTER  CLARK  ABOUT 

RANDOLPH  COUNTY  SOLDIERS 

IN  THE  GREAT  WAR  1861-1865 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


THE  COLLECTION  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINIANA 

PRESENTED  BY 


William  T.  Auman 


Cp970.741 
C59a 


ADDRESS 

by 

WALTER  CLARK 

About 

RANDOLPH  COUNTY 
SOLDIERS 

In  The 

GREAT  WAR 


1861-1865 


Twenty-Second  Regiment 
i.  }.  Johnston  Pettigrew,  Colonel  3.  Graham  Daves,  1st  Lieut.,  and  Adjt. 

2.  Thos.  D.  Jones,  Captain,  Co.  A  4.  W.  W.  Dickson,  2nd  Lieut.,  Co.  A 

5.  Walter  Clark,  2nd  Lieut,  and  Drill  Master 

From  Histories  of  the  Several  Regiments  and  Battalions 
from  North  Carolina  in  the  Great  War  1861-65,  edited  by 
Walter  Clark. — Volume  II,  facing  page  161. 


lliSSilk 


1861-1865 

"ERECTED  1911 

UNDER  THE  AUSPICES  OF 

RANDOLPH  CHAPTER  UDC 


"Lest  We  Forget" 

OUR  CONFEDERATE  HEROES 


PROGRAMME 

Unveiling   Exercises  Confederate   Monument, 
Saturday,   September   Second — Procession 
From  Court  House  to  Graded  School. 

Music — Mr.  J.  D.  Ross  led  the  march,  followed  by  the  Win- 
ston Band.  Then  came  the  Confederate  Veterans,  about  one 
hundred  in  number.  Next,  Randolph  Chapter,  U.D.C.,  fol- 
lowed by  the  Children  of  the  Confederacy. 

Song — America. 

Invocation. 

Double  Quartet — Tenting  Tonight. 

Presentation  of  Speaker — Col.  James  T.  Morehead, 
Greensboro,  N.  C. 

Address — Hon.  Walter  Clark,  Chief  Justice  Supreme 
Court  of  North  Carolina. 

Song— The  Old  North  State. 

Music. 

Procession  to  Confederate  Monument. 

Music  by  Band. 

Unveiling  Monument — Miss  May  McAlister,  President 
Randolph  Chapter,  U.  D.  C. 

Decorating  Monument  with  Laurel  Wreaths — Children 
of  Confederacy. 

Music — Dixie. 

Presentation  of  Confederate  Monument — Mr.  E.  L. 
Mofitt. 

Acceptance  for  Veterans — Col.  W.  P.  Wood,  Auditor  of 
State. 

Acceptance  for  County — Mr.  H.  M.  Robins. 

Acceptance,  Town  of  Asheboro — Mayor  J.  A.  Spence. 

Music — Maryland,  My  Maryland. 

Eulogies  to  Old  Soldiers — Hon.  Robt.  N.  Page  and  others. 

Music — Band. 

Dinner. 

Col.  A.  C.  McAlister,  Master  of  Ceremonies. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/addressaboutrandOOclar 


ADDRESS  OF  CHIEF  JUSTICE  CLARK 

Ladies,  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy,  Veterans  and  Fellow 
Citizens : 

It  has  been  fifty  years,  just  half  a  century,  since  North 
Carolina,  resuming  her  sovereignty,  took  her  stand  with  her 
sister  Southern  States  beneath  a  new  flag.  More  than  four 
decades  and  a  half  have  passed  since  wreathed  around  with 
laurel  and  with  cypress  that  banner  passed  into  the  eternal 
silence,  where  live  forever  the  deathless  dead. 

North  Carolina  sent  forth  more  than  125,000  stalwart 
sons  to  make  her  declaration  good.  More  than  one-third, 
43,000,  came  not  back  again.  Dead  by  the  fire  of  battle,  dead 
by  wounds,  dead  by  disease,  from  exposure  and  hardship, 
43,000  of  our  bravest  and  best  are  sleeping  their  last  sleep 
at  Gettysburg,  at  Vicksburg,  at  Chicamauga,  at  Charleston, 
in  the  swamps  of  Chickahominy,  around  Petersburg,  in  the 
valley  of  Virginia,  and  wherever  in  that  ring  of  fire  that 
encircled  the  Confederacy,  we  faced  the  fearful  odds  that 
slowly  but  steadily  drove  us  inward.  In  the  four  decades  and 
a  half  which  have  passed  since,  the  leaden  hail  of  the  years 
have  driven  great  gaps  in  the  ranks  of  the  survivors.  An- 
other third,  aye,  perhaps  half  of  the  remaining  third,  have 
joined  their  comrades  in  the  great  bivouac  of  the  beyond  of 
the  dauntless  host  of  North  Carolinians,  125,500  strong  who 
well  may  be  said  to  have  carried  on  their  bayonet  points  the 
fortune  of  the  Confederacy,  as  well  as  the  fame  and  honor 
of  North  Carolina,  less  than  20,000  are  still  with  us. 

In  1872  France  and  Germany  went  to  war.  Their  popu- 
lation was  about  equal — 38,000,000  each.  Each  had  an  army 
of  400,000  men  already  equipped  for  war.  The  army  of 
France  was  inspired  by  the  remembrance  of  the  glories  of 
Napoleon,  that  of  Germany  by  the  victories  of  Frederick 
the  Great.  In  six  months  the  German  army  had  captured 
Paris  and  1,000,000  French  troops,  and  France  had  surren- 
dered to  the  enemy  two  great  Provinces  and  had  agreed  to 
pay  a  war  indemnity  of  1,000  millions  of  dollars. 

In  1861  when  our  war  began  the  South  had  no  govern- 
ment. It  had  to  create  one.  It  had  not  a  soldier  and  not  a 
dollar.  It  had  to  raise  an  army,  organize,  equip  and  feed  it. 
It  had  to  make  a  treasury  and  fill  it.  It  had  no  arsenals,  no 


powder  and  few  guns.  These  things  had  to  be  made.  The 
enemy  had  24,000,000  people  to  our  6,000,000,  many  of  them 
colored.  They  had  an  army  and  navy  ready  to  hand.  They 
had  an  overflowing  treasury  and  ready  access  to  the  outside 
world,  from  which  they  drew  recruits  to  their  ranks  and 
supplies  of  every  kind.  When  they  lost  a  soldier,  killed  or 
wounded,  they  could  fill  his  place  with  three  more.  When  we 
lost  a  man  there  was  no  other  to  take  his  place.  They  put 
3,000,000  of  soldiers  in  the  field.  We  managed  first  and  last 
to  put  into  line  600,000. 

It  took  the  Germans  six  months  to  overcome  the  French, 
a  brave  and  martial  race  and  their  equal  in  numbers.  It  took 
the  North  four  years  to  travel  the  117  miles  between  Wash- 
ington and  Richmond  against  a  people  and  an  army  one 
fourth  their  own  in  numbers.  And  again  and  again  they 
were  on  the  point  of  failure.  Had  Albert  Sidney  Johnston's 
life  been  spared  one  hour  longer  at  Shiloh,  Grant  and 
Sherman  with  the  army  under  their  command  would  have 
been  prisoners.  Had  Stonewall  Jackson  not  been  struck  by 
a  bullet  from  one  of  our  own  men  at  Chancellorsville.  Hook- 
er's army  would  have  been  cut  off  from  United  States  Ford 
and  prisoners  of  war.  Either  event  would  have  ended  the 
war  like  a  clap  of  thunder.  The  valor  of  our  soldiers  and  the 
genius  of  our  general  were  equal  to  success.  They  did  not 
command  it  only  because  an  infinitely  greater  power  than 
that  which  the  enemy  controlled  willed  it  otherwise.  As 
Napier  said  of  Napoleon,  "Fortune,  that  name  for  the  un- 
known combinations  of  an  infinite  power  was  wanting  to  us 
and  without  her  aid  the  designs  of  men  are  as  bubbles  on  a 
troubled  ocean."  You  can  measure  the  magnitude  of  our 
struggle  in  another  way.  In  the  great  war  of  the  Revolution 
in  which  we  won  our  independence  from  Great  Britain  the 
patriots  during  the  entire  seven  years  left  only  1735  men 
dead  on  the  field  of  battle  and  we  would  have  been  beaten 
but  for  the  help  of  France. 

In  the  war  of  1812,  our  second  war  with  Great  Britain, 
we  had  only  1,235  killed  outright,  though  that  war  saved  to 
us  the  country  beyond  the  Mississippi  and  in  the  war  with 
Mexico  which  united  us  to  Texas,  California  and  the  great 
territory  lying  between  them,  one  third  of  the  Union,  we 
lost  only  1047  men  killed.  In  our  war  North  Carolina  alone 


had  5,016  men  killed  in  battle  and  including  the  deaths  from 
wounds  14,000.  Add  to  those  the  deaths  from  disease,  this 
State  lost  more  than  42,000  men. 

In  the  long  centuries  that  are  to  come,  legend  and  song  in 
this  fair  Southland  will  keep  bright  the  story  of  the  Con- 
federate soldier.  His  memory  will  sparkle  in  the  fountain ; 
the  mountain  peaks  will  recall  remembrance  of  his  marches. 

"The  meanest  rill,  the  mightiest  river, 
Rolls  mingling  with  his  fame  forever." 

Posterity  will  recall  too  the  simple  faith  and  courage  with 
which  when  the  end  came,  you  turned  your  faces  homeward, 
and  there  picking  up  the  web  of  life,  where  the  sword  had 
cut  it,  you  began  again  where  you  had  left  off  four  years 
before.  Your  powerful  aid  dissipated  the  evil  influences  that 
had  come  over  your  native  land.  You  raised  up  the  broken 
and  discarded  statues  of  Law  and  Order  and  replaced  them 
with  Honor  upon  their  pedestals.  You  cleared  your  fields  of 
the  brambles  that  had  grown  up  and  your  government  of 
the  bad  men  who  had  climbed  to  power.  At  your  bidding 
prosperity  again  started  the  hum  of  its  wheels,  and  honor 
and  integrity  became  again  the  attendants  of  your  public 
service. 

You  did  all  this  and  more  that  will  stand  to  your  everlast- 
ing honor.  In  the  strenuous  struggle  of  1861-65  you  were 
faithful  to  the  highest  ideals  of  the  soldier  and  in  the  years 
following  you  were  equal  to  the  highest  duties  of  a  citizen. 

Patriotism  is  not  with  you  an  acquirement  to  be  laid  aside 
at  will.  It  is  a  part  of  your  very  existence. 

The  stress  of  years  and  the  storm  of  battle  have  reduced 
your  members  and  enfeebled  your  steps.  The  heads  of  the 
survivors  have  whitened  with  the  snows  that  never  melt, 
but  your  patriotism  has  not  diminished  with  your  numbers 
or  your  strength,  and  the  State  has  no  sons  more  jealous  of 
her  honor  or  more  obedient  to  her  laws  than  you. 

Truly  of  the  Confederate  soldiers  no  less  can  be  said  than 
Pericles,  the  great  Athenian,  more  than  two  thousand  years 
ago  said  of  his  own  countrymen,  who  had  fallen  in  a  great 
war :  "Whenever,  in  all  time,  there  shall  be  speech  of  great 
deeds,  there  shall  be  thought  and  memory  of  them." 


On  this  occasion  it  will  be  appropriate  for  us  to  recall, 
even  if  briefly,  the  story  of  the  companies  which  Randolph 
county  sent  to  the  front  and  to  whose  memory  this  monu- 
ment has  been  erected.  It  will  be  well  to  recall  somewhat  of 
their  services,  where  they  went  and  what  they  did,  that  it 
may  be  seen  with  what  just  pride  this  monument  will  bear 
to  future  ages  the  inscription,  "In  perpetual  memory  of  the 
Confederate  soldiers  of  Randolph  county." 

To  this  recital  of  bare  facts  will  seem  tiresome,  but  to 
these  veterans  they  recall  memories  that  will  never  die.  The 
"days  of  our  youth  are  the  days  of  our  glory."  Bear  with  me 
then  while  I  recall  the  battles,  marches  and  sieges  of  not 
long  ago. 

There  are  reasons  which  make  my  participation  in  this 
dedication  of  a  monument  to  the  Confederate  soldiers  of 
Randolph  one  of  especial  interest  to  myself.  In  1861  when 
the  Governor  of  the  State  called  upon  the  Superintendent 
of  the  Military  Academy  at  Hillsboro,  Colonel  Chas.  C.  Tew, 
who  afterwards  met  a  soldier's  death  at  Sharpsburg,  to  send 
ten  of  his  cadets  to  Raleigh  to  drill  the  troops  I  was  one  of 
those  chosen  for  that  duty,  though  only  a  boy  of  14,  and  I 
was  assigned  to  a  company  from  Randolph,  then  com- 
manded by  Capt.,  afterwards  Lt.  Col.,  Robert  H.  Gray.  The 
regiment  was  organized  by  the  election  of  that  brilliant 
scholar  and  soldier,  J.  Johnston  Pettigrew  as  colonel  and  I 
went  with  it  to  Virginia  and  served  several  months  in  this 
regiment,  with  its  three  companies  from  the  county  of  Ran- 
dolph. I  can  never  forget  the  kindness,  I  may  almost  say  the 
affection,  with  which  I  was  treated  by  Capt.  Gray,  his  offi- 
cers and  the  members  of  his  company.  A  tender  hearted, 
gallant  soldier,  he  too  met  a  soldier's  death  as  did  so  many 
of  the  Randolph  men,  and  the  distinguished  colonel  of  the 
regiment.  Having  entered  the  war  with  the  men  from  Ran- 
dolph, it  was  my  fortune  also  in  the  last  year  of  the  war  to 
command  a  battalion  of  five  companies,  and  afterwards  to 
be  a  field  officer  in  a  regiment,  in  which  served  a  gallant 
company  of  Junior  Reserves  from  the  county  of  Randolph 
commanded  by  Capt.  W.  S.  Lineberry.  He,  too,  and  his  gal- 
lant officers  and  men,  I  shall  always  hold  in  tender  memory. 
They  were  splendid  soldiers,  brave,  faithful  and  uncom- 
plaining, and  worthy  compeers  of  their  fathers  and  brothers 


from  this  county  with  whom  I  had  served  in  the  first  year 
of  the  war.  Then,  too,  when  the  drama  was  drawing  to  its 
close,  our  last  bivouac  as  were  on  the  soil  of  Randolph  and 
we  surrendered,  stacked  arms,  and  bade  each  other  a  final 
farewell  in  the  gloom  of  defeat  near  old  Trinity  College  at  a 
place  now  known  as  Archdale.  Thus  in  the  beginning  of  that 
great  struggle  and  throughout  its  closing  scenes  my  fate 
was  closely  intermingled  with  that  of  the  gallant  soldiers 
from  this  grand  old  county. 

Your  county  sent  to  the  front  nine  full  companies,  i.  e., 
Companies  I,  L  and  M,  of  the  22nd  N.  C.  Regiment;  Co.  H, 
in  the  38th  N.  C. ;  Companies  F  and  G,  46th  N.  C. ;  Co.  B, 
52nd  N.  C. ;  Co.  F,  70th  N.  C. ;  Co.  F,  2nd  battalion,  besides 
half  of  Co.  H  of  the  3rd  N.  C;  half  of  Co.  E,  44th  N.  C;  a 
large  part  of  Co.  H  of  the  44th  N.  C. ;  and  Companies  A  and 
D  in  the  8th  battalion,  besides  numerous  soldiers  from  Ran- 
dolph scattered  among  other  regiments. 

The  first  Companies  from  the  County  were,  as  above 
stated,  Companies  I,  L  and  M  of  the  22nd  N.  C.  Regiment. 
These  companies  were  all  raised  early  in  June  1861.  The 
Regiment  was  originally  the  12th  Volunteers,  but  to  prevent 
duplication  of  numbers  the  10th  State  Regiments,  as  they 
were  called,  of  three  years  men  were  numbered  first,  and 
the  twelfth  Volunteers  became  the  22nd  N.  C.  Regiment. 
The  Regiment  originally  had  12  companies  but  C  and  D 
were  transformed  to  another  Regiment  so  two  of  the  Ran- 
dolph Companies  L  and  M  remained  as  such  throughout 
the  war,  though  the  Regiment  had  no  Companies  C  and  D. 
Company  I  was  commanded  successively  by  Capt.  S.  G. 
Worth  and  Geo.  V.  Lamb.  Company  L  was  commanded  by 
Capt.  Robt.  H.  Gray  (who  became  Lieut.  Col.  and  died  in 
service)  and  then  in  succession  by  Capts.  J.  A.  C.  Brown, 
Lee  Russell,  Y.  M.  C.  Johnson.  Company  M  was  successively 
commanded  by  Capts.  John  M.  Odell,  Laben  Odell  who  be- 
came Major  (and  was  killed  at  Chancellorsville) ,  Warren  B. 
Kivett  and  C.  F.  Siler.  Each  of  these  companies  from  first 
to  last  had  from  175  to  200  soldiers  each. 

Soon  after  the  22nd  N.  C.  Regiment  was  formed  it  was 
ordered  to  Richmond,  then  to  Evansport  on  the  Potomac 
where  it  supported  the  batteries  which  for  a  while  blocked 
all  traffic  to  Washington  by  water.  In  March  1862,  Col.  Pet- 


tigrew  was  appointed  Brigadier  General  but  at  that  time 
declined  promotion,  a  very  rare  instance.  The  Regiment  was 
in  the  fight  at  Seven  Pines  31st  of  May  1863  and  heavily 
engaged.  The  3  Randolph  Companies  lost  many  men.  Soon 
after  the  Regiment  was  placed  in  a  brigade  consisting  of  the 
16th,  22nd,  34th  and  38th  N.  C.  Regiments  under  the  com- 
mand of  Gen.  Wm.  D.  Pender  which  Brigade  was  assigned 
to  the  Celebrated  Light  Division  of  A.  P.  Hill. 

An  officer  describing  the  bearing  of  the  22nd  N.  C.  Regi- 
ment at  Seven  Pines  says :  "In  all  my  reading  of  veterans, 
and  of  coolness  under  fire,  I  have  never  conceived  of  any- 
thing surpassing  our  men  in  this  fight." 

In  the  Seven  Days  Fights  around  Richmond,  which  soon 
followed,  the  Regiment  was  again  engaged ;  on  the  26th  of 
June  near  Mechanicsville  at  Ellyson's  Mill  and  Gaines'  Mill 
June  27,  where  it  won  the  highest  encomiums  from  Gen. 
A.  P.  Hill  in  his  report  and  where  the  22nd  N.  C.  Regiment 
at  one  time  carried  the  crest  of  the  hill  and  penetrated  the 
enemy's  camp.  It  was  again  engaged  at  Frazier's  Farm 
June  28,  3  severe  battles  in  3  days.  In  this  series  of  battles, 
in  the  Seven  Days  around  Richmond,  the  South  was  the 
attacking  party  throughout.  It  was  not  made  public  at  the 
time,  but  official  records  now  show  that  though  we  doubled 
up  McClellan's  army  and  drove  him  back  to  the  shelter  of 
his  gun  boats,  the  South  had  50  per  cent  more  men  killed 
and  wounded  than  the  enemy.  The  loss  in  the  22nd  N.  C. 
Regiment  was  particularly  heavy.  Notwithstanding  this, 
with  unabated  courage  and  peculiar  audacity,  Gen.  Lee's 
army  soon  started  on  a  dash  into  Maryland.  On  August  9 
the  22nd  N.  C.  Regiment  fought  under  Jackson  at  Cedar 
Mountain.  It  was  again  with  Jackson  when  he  struck  Pope's 
army  on  August  28  and  29  August  and  distinguished 
itself  at  Second  Manassas  on  August  30.  Two  days  later  it 
was  again  engaged  with  the  enemy  at  Chantilly,  Ox  Hill, 
which  was  fought  in  a  terrible  thunder  storm,  in  which  the 
artillery  of  heaven  and  earth  seemed  to  rival  each  other. 
Such  were  the  hard  service  and  heavy  losses  of  the  cam- 
paign that  there  were  only  three  field  officers  out  of  twelve 
left  in  the  brigade  and  some  of  the  Companies  were  com- 
manded by  Corporals. 


The  22nd  N.  C.  Regiment  next  took  part  in  the  capture 
15  Sept.  1862  of  Harper's  Ferry  in  which  the  enemy  sur- 
rendered 11,000  men,  13,000  stand  of  arms,  and  some  73 
pieces  of  artillery,  and  on  Sept.  17  it  was  at  the  battle  of 
Sharpsburg,  one  of  the  bloodiest  battles  of  the  whole  war. 
On  these  two  occasions,  I  had  the  honor  of  being  again  on 
the  same  field  with  my  old  comrades  from  Randolph,  though 
at  that  time  I  was  attached  to  another  command,  being  then 
Adjutant  of  the  35th  N.  C.  Regiment  commanded  by  Colonel, 
afterwards  Senator,  M.  W.  Ransom.  At  Sharpsburg  the 
22nd  N.  C.  Regiment  with  the  rest  of  A.  P.  Hill's  Division 
arrived  on  the  battlefield  after  a  forced  march  of  17  miles, 
about  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

Hill's  Division  in  which  were  our  3  Randolph  Companies 
was  left  behind  to  parole  the  prisoners  while  the  rest  of  the 
army  was  hurried  off  to  again  cross  the  Potomac  and  aid 
Lee  who  was  cooped  up  in  a  bend  of  the  river  at  Sharpsburg. 
On  17  September  pressing  orders  came  for  Hill's  Division 
to  rejoin  the  army  at  Sharpsburg.  This  it  did  by  a  forced 
march,  wading  the  Potomac  and  reaching  the  field  of  battle 
about  4  o'clock  just  as  Burnside's  corps  had  at  last  crossed 
the  bridge  over  the  Antietam,  and  swinging  around  our 
right  was  about  to  cut  off  our  army.  Ten  minutes  longer  de- 
lay would  probably  have  destroyed  the  Confederate  army, 
for  our  line  of  retreat  would  have  been  seized.  The  official 
reports  show  that  McClellan  had  that  day  101,000  men  in 
line,  and  until  A.  P.  Hill's  Division  arrived  Lee  had  at  no  time 
more  than  from  27,000  to  30,000  men.  Had  Burnside  moved 
earlier,  and  with  more  vigor,  Appomattox  would  have  been 
antedated  two  years  and  a  half.  The  star  of  the  Confederacy 
would  have  set  in  night  and  Sharpsburg  might  have  taken 
its  place  in  the  history  of  our  race  by  the  side  of  Hastings 
and  Flodden.  The  loss  of  that  army  with  Lee,  Jackson  and 
other  generals  there  would  have  been  fatal.  We  know  what 
happened  when  the  same  glorious  army,  even  with  smaller 
numbers  disappeared  at  Appomattox. 

Lee's  army  outnumbered  three  to  one  was  fighting  with 
its  back  to  the  Potomac  river,  and  if  cut  off  by  Burnside's 
advance  total  destruction  of  our  army  was  certain.  It  was 
truly  a  "soldier's  battle."  There  was  no  maneuvering  but  a 
dead,  square,  stand  up  fight.  I  had  the  honor  to  be  there  on 


the  left  under  Jackson  and  remember  with  what  great 
anxiety  we  listened  for  the  opening  guns  of  A.  P.  Hill's 
Light  Division  of  6  brigades,  which  to  hearten  us  we  were 
told  was  coming.  No  man  who  was  there  can  forget  to  his 
dying  day  the  feeling  of  exultation  when  the  terrible  roll  of 
musketry  told  us  that  the  Light  Division  had  swung  into 
line  and  had  met  the  advancing  columns  of  Burnside's  corps. 
For  two  hours,  the  roll  of  musketry  was  deafening  and 
incessant. 

We  held  our  lines  all  the  next  day,  the  enemy  not  daring, 
or  being  too  exhausted,  to  advance,  and  that  night  the  army 
recrossed  the  river  by  fording  without  losing  a  prisoner  or 
a  musket.  On  the  20th  the  enemy  attempted  to  follow  us  and 
was  terribly  defeated  at  Sheperdstown,  the  Light  Division 
in  which  were  our  3  Randolph  County  Companies,  being 
heavily  engaged.  Gen.  A.  P.  Hill  issued  an  order  of  con- 
gratulation in  which  he  said  of  his  Division,  which  included 
the  brave  companies  from  Randolph,  as  follows :  "You  have 
fought  in  every  battle  from  Mechanicsville  to  Sheperds- 
town, and  no  one  can  yet  say  that  the  Light  Division  was 
ever  broken.  You  held  the  left  at  Manassas  against  over- 
whelming numbers  and  saved  the  army.  You  saved  the  day 
at  Sharpsburg  and  at  Sheperdstown,  you  were  selected  to 
face  a  storm  of  round  shot,  grape  and  shell,  such  as  I  have 
never  before  witnessed.  Your  services  are  appreciated  by 
your  commanding  General." 

In  the  latter  part  of  November  the  22  N.  C.  Regiment 
with  its  Division  was  on  duty  near  Martinsburg,  north  of 
Winchester.  It  marched  rapidly  by  way  of  Snicker's  Gap, 
for  Fredericksburg  where  it  arrived  December  2  a  distance 
of  180  miles,  just  in  time  to  aid  in  heading  off  Burnside's 
army  which  was  attempting  to  cross  the  Rappahannock.  At 
the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  December  13  the  Regiment  was 
in  the  front  list  and  acquitted  itself  in  a  way  worthy  of  its 
reputation.  At  Chancellorsville,  in  May  1863,  the  Regiment 
was  in  Jackson's  famous  flank  attack  on  Hooker.  Its  losses 
were,  as  usual,  very  severe.  Its  Colonel  and  Major  were  both 
killed  and  219  men,  and  26  out  of  33  Company  Officers, 
were  killed  and  wounded.  Chancellorsville  was  the  18th  bat- 
tle in  which  the  22  N.  C.  Regiment  had  been  engaged  in  two 
vears  and  was  one  of  the  most  fatal. 


In  July  1863  the  Regiment,  with  its  three  Randolph  com- 
panies, was  at  Gettysburg.  Col.  A.  M.  Scales  (since  Gover- 
nor) had  then  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  brigade. 
The  22nd  N.  C.  Regiment  was  in  the  first  day's  brilliant 
success  at  Gettysburg.  It  was  engaged  again  on  the  second 
day,  and  on  the  third  day  it  was  under  Pettigrew  in  the 
famous  charge  on  Cemetary  Ridge.  When  it  came  out,  the 
entire  brigade  had  not  a  single  field  officer  left  for  duty  and 
very  few  line  officers. 

The  Regiment  was  on  the  Rapidan  in  Oct.  1863,  and  at 
Mine  Run  Dec.  2  in  what  was  the  coldest  weather  of  the 
war.  On  May  5  1864  it  shared  the  terrible  loss  when  Grant 
opened  his  campaign  at  the  Wilderness  and  faced  him  in 
the  almost  daily  battles  on  his  memorable  march  to  the 
James  River,  in  which  in  60  days  Grant  lost  more  men  than 
Lee  had  in  his  whole  army.  The  Regiment  then  took  its  place 
in  the  lines  around  Richmond  and  Petersburg.  It  was  in  the 
constant  fighting  from  then  on  to  the  beginning  of  the  re- 
treat to  Appomattox.  On  August  25  1864  it  was  in  the 
"North  Carolina  Victory"  at  Reams'  Station  when  the  3 
N.  C.  brigades  of  Cooke,  McRae  and  Kirkland  captured  the 
enemy's  works. 

The  22  N.  C.  Regiment  served  throughout  the  war  in  the 
army  of  Northern  Virginia,  and  shared  in  every  battle  of 
any  magnitude  in  which  that  army  was  engaged  except  the 
first  battle  of  Manassas.  It  was  in  the  memorable  retreat 
from  Petersburg  to  Appomattox  which  has  been  appropri- 
ately styled  "The  Funeral  March  of  the  Confederacy".  At 
Appomattox  the  following  were  all  that  were  left  by  the 
attrition  of  war  of  our  3  Randolph  companies  to  sign  that 
roll  of  honor  the  Parole  list  at  Appomattox:  Company  I, 
Capt.  G.  V.  Lamb,  Sergts.  T.  J.  Wood  and  W.  R.  Allred, 
Corporal  N.  E.  Lamb,  Privates  John  Heileg,  A.  L.  McLaurin, 
J.  W.  Heath,  R.  R.  Thompson,  A.  J.  Winningham,  M.  Burns. 
Company  L,  Capt.  Y.  M.  C.  Johnson,  First  Lieut.  C.  H.  Wel- 
born,  Sergt.  C.  M.  Vestal,  Corporal  Allen  Scott,  Privates  J. 
Creasman,  W.  M.  Pike,  J.  M.  Thomas  and  C.  C.  Jones. 
Company  M,  Capt.  C.  F.  Siler,  Privates  L.  D.  Sloat,  A.  J. 
Parker,  David  Wright,  J.  Foust,  Joseph  York,  J.  L.  York, 
W.  Allridge.  These  names  deserve  to  be  recorded  for  all 
times  as  faithful  to  the  end.  Others  of  these  Companies 


were  entitled  to  equal  credit,  Some  slept  in  soldiers  graves, 
others  were  wounded  or  in  Northern  prisons.  But  these  men 
had  the  opportunity  to  be  at  a  closing  scene  and  they  were 
equal  to  the  opportunity. 

The  next  company  from  the  county  was  Co.  H,  of  the  38th 
N.  C.  Regiment.  This  company  was  commanded  originally 
by  Capt.  Noah  Rush  and  then  by  Capt.  Wm.  L.  Thornburg. 
It  was  raised  in  the  fall  of  1861,  and  the  regiment  was  or- 
ganized by  the  election  of  Wm.  J.  Hoke  as  colonel.  It  was  in 
Eastern  North  Carolina  in  the  spring  of  1862.  In  April, 
1862,  it  was  sent  to  Richmond  and  was  assigned  to  Pender's 
brigade.  From  thenceforward  the  history  of  the  Randolph 
company  was  the  same  as  that  of  the  three  Randolph  com- 
panies in  the  22nd  regiment  in  the  same  brigade  whose 
services  have  just  been  recounted. 

The  next  companies  from  the  county  were  Companies  F 
and  G  of  the  46th  N.  C.  Regiment.  Company  F  was  com- 
manded in  succession  by  Capts.  Alexander  C.  McAlister, 
who  was  afterwards  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  the  regiment, 
Thos.  A.  Branson,  killed  in  1864,  and  Meredith  M.  Teague. 
Colonel  McAlister,  I  had  the  honor  to  know  and  served  with 
in  1861,  and  when  he  was  sergeant  major  in  Pettigrew's 
regiment. 

The  other  company  from  Randolph  in  this  regiment  was 
Company  G,  which  was  commanded  in  succession  by  Capts. 
0.  W.  Carr  and  Robt.  P.  Troy. 

The  46th  regiment  was  organized  at  Camp  Mangum  near 
Raleigh  in  March,  1862,  by  the  election  of  E.  D.  Hall,  of 
Wilmington  as  colonel,  and  Attorney  General  W.  A.  Jenkins, 
of  Warren,  as  lieutenant  colonel.  Its  last  colonel  was  W.  L. 
Saunders,  who  since  the  war  was  for  many  years  Secretary 
of  State.  It  was  sent  to  Richmond,  where  it  arrived  in  time 
to  take  part  in  the  battle  of  Seven  Pines  May  30th,  1862.  It 
was  placed  in  the  brigade  commanded  first  by  Gen.  John  G. 
Walker  and  then  by  John  R.  Cooke.  During  the  seven  days 
battle  around  Richmond  the  regiment  was  stationed  at 
Drewry's  Bluff  in  support  of  the  batteries  at  that  point, 
though  it  was  under  fire  on  the  last  of  the  Seven  Days  at 
Malvern  Hill. 

In  1862  when  "August  with  its  trailing  vines  passed  out 
the  gates  of  summer,*'  we  returned  the  visit  the  Yankees 


had  made  us  by  marching  northward.  Walker's  brigade,  in 
which  was  the  Randolph  company  and  Ransom's  brigade, 
to  which  I  belonged,  composed  a  small  division  commanded 
by  Gen.  J.  G.  Walker.  After  the  battle  of  Second  Manassas 
and  Ghantilly  had  been  fought  we  crossed  the  Potomac  into 
Maryland  and  penetrated  as  far  as  Hagerstown,  Mel.  when 
we  were  ordered  back  and  took  part  in  the  investment  of 
Harper's  Ferry  where  our  small  division  of  two  brigades 
occupied  Loudon  Heights.  We  were  present  at  the  surrender 
of  the  Federal  troops  on  the  early  morning  of  September  15, 
1862,  when  the  Federals  surrendered,  as  I  have  already 
stated  11,0.00  men,  13,000  stands  of  arms,  73  pieces  of  ar- 
tillery and  a  large  quantity  of  munitions  of  war.  Leaving 
A.  P.  Hill's  Division  to  parole  the  prisoners  the  rest  of  the 
Confederate  troops  were  promptly  marched  back  up  the 
river  and  across  the  Potomac  again  into  Maryland  to 
Sharpsburg,  which  we  reached  about  midday  September  16, 
1862.  Just  before  daylight  the  next  morning  our  division 
marched  out  and  took  position  on  the  extreme  right  of  the 
line  opposite  the  bridge  which  Burnside's  corps  carried  later 
in  the  day.  About  9  o'clock  couriers  came  in  all  haste  with 
the  information  that  the  enemy  had  broken  through  our  left 
wing,  and  two  brigades  of  Walker's  Division,  including  our 
Randolph  company,  were  hastily  marched  to  the  left.  When 
we  got  opposite  the  West  Woods,  Hood's  Texas  Brigade, 
and  other  Confederate  troops  at  that  point  had  been  driven 
out  and  the  blue  wave  was  rolling  through  like  water 
through  a  broken  mill  dam.  The  regiments  of  Walker's 
Division  were  successively  wheeled  to  the  right  as  they  came 
up  and  struck  the  Federal  advance.  The  enemy  were  stopped 
in  the  moment  of  their  triumph  and  the  day  was  saved.  Five 
successive  assaults  were  subsequently  made  by  the  Federals 
but  each  line  was  in  turn  broken  and  driven  back.  And  when 
night  fell  Walker's  Division  still  held  the  line.  About  4  p.  m. 
we  were  again  in  danger,  as  Burnside's  corps  had  at  last 
crossed  the  bridge  and  were  about  to  cut  the  army  off  from 
our  line  and  retreat.  It  was  then  that  A.  P.  Hill's  Division 
came  up,  as  I  have  stated  in  recounting  the  history  of  the 
22nd  regiment,  and  again  saved  the  clay.  We  rested  our 
arms  all  next  day,  the  enemy  not  daring  to  advance,  and 
recrosseel   the   Potomac   at  midnight  by   fording,   men   on 


horseback  being  stationed   in  the  river  and  with   lighted 
torches  to  show  the  ford. 

The  battle  of  Sharpsburg  was  one  of  the  bloodiest  of  the 
whole  war,  and  one  of  the  most  critical.  It  has  been  properly 
called  a  "Soldier's  Battle,"  for  there  was  no  room  for  strat- 
egy. There  was  no  maneuvering,  it  was  a  standup,  give  and 
take.  We  fought  the  battle  with  our  backs  to  the  river, 
the  defection  of  a  single  brigade  would  have  enabled  the 
enemy  to  pass  through  and  cut  us  off  from  the  river.  The 
official  reports  show  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  fight  we 
had  27,000  men  present  as  against  101,000  on  the  Federal 
side.  By  the  arrival  of  McLaws'  Division  and  later  in  the 
afternoon  by  the  arrival  of  A.  P.  Hill's  Division  the  Con- 
federate numbers  were  raised  to  33,000. 

Cook's  Brigade  in  which  was  the  46th  regiment  distin- 
guished itself  at  Fredericksburg  13  Dec.  1862  when  Burnside 
attempted  to  cross  the  Rappahannock.  It  was  behind  the  his- 
toric wall  at  the  foot  of  Marge's  Height  all  that  day  long  and 
drove  back  six  successive  assaults  of  the  enemy.  Among 
them  Thos.  Francis  Meaghers,  Irish  Brigade  which  came 
up  carrying  in  addition  to  the  U.  S.  Flag  the  green  flag  of 
Erin  with  the  Sun  Burst  upon  it.  The  Col.  of  the  Regiment 
W.  L.  Saunders,  was  wounded  by  a  minie  ball  which  passed 
through  his  mouth  as  he  open  it  to  give  some  command,  the 
ball  passing  out  through  his  cheek. 

In  January  Cook's  Brigade,  including  the  46th  Regiment 
with  our  Randolph  Company,  was  ordered  to  Holly  Shelter 
near  Wilmington  which  was  a  much  needed  rest  for  the  men 
after  the  arduous  campaign  in  Maryland  and  Virginia.  In 
April  1863  the  Brigade  was  sent  to  Charleston  and  then  to 
Pocataligo,  S.  C.  In  June  it  was  ordered  back  to  Richmond 
for  the  protection  of  that  city  during  the  Gettysburg  cam- 
paign which  it  thus  escaped.  In  Oct.  it  rejoined  the  army  at 
Northern  Virginia  at  Madison  Court  House  where  it  was 
attached  to  Heath's  Division  with  which  it  remained  till 
the  surrender.  On  14  Oct.  Cook's  and  Kirkland's  N.  C.  Bri- 
gade by  a  fatal  error  of  Gen.  A.  P.  Hill  were  sent  to  assault 
Warren's  corps  which  was  lying  behind  a  railroad  embank- 
ment at  Bristol  Station.  The  two  Brigades  were  fearfully 
cut  to  pieces.  On  2  Dec.  1863  in  the  coldest  weather  of  the 
war,  the  army  was  drawn  up  to  receive  Meade's  threatened 


attack  at  Mine  Run.  The  enemy  thought  better  of  it  and  did 
not  assault.  On  5  May  1864  the  46th  N.  C.  was  on  the  plank 
road  at  the  Wilderness  when  Grant  opened  his  campaign. 
The  infantry  fire  at  close  range  was  terrible.  After  the  war 
I  saw  in  the  porch  of  the  War  Department  at  Washington 
City  the  sections  of  a  tree  12  inches  in  diameter  which  had 
been  cut  down  entirely  by  the  bullets  fired  on  that  occasion. 
On  that  day  and  the  next  the  46th  N.  C.  lost  290  killed  and 
wounded  out  of  540  present  for  duty.  The  Regiment  was  in 
the  almost  daily  battles  when  Grant  was  "swinging  around 
the  circle"  down  the  James  River.  It  was  engaged  on  10  May 
and  again  on  the  historic  12  May  when  the  enemy  captured 
the  "Bloody  Angle."  After  reaching  Petersburg  it  was  in  the 
daily  fights  in  the  trenches  around  Petersburg  till  the  lines 
were  broken  on  2  April  1865.  On  25  August  1864  it  was  in 
the  North  Carolina  Victory  at  Ream's  Station  which  was 
won  by  3  N.  C.  Brigades  where  we  captured  7  stands  of 
colors,  9  pieces  of  artillery,  3100  prisoners  and  a  large  quan- 
tity of  camp  equipage.  This  victory  was  won  by  the  3  N.  C. 
Brigades  of  Cooke,  Kirkland  and  McRae.  The  bayonets  were 
freely  used,  and  Lieut.  Colonel  A.  C.  McAlister  distinguished 
himself  in  daring  leading  the  Regiment  to  the  muzzles  of 
the  enemy's  cannon.  The  46th  Regiment  lost  73  killed  and 
wounded,  among  the  wounded  Capt.  Troy  of  Company  G. 
In  Dec.  the  Regiment  was  in  the  famous  Belfield  expedition 
noted  for  the  suffering  endured  by  the  men  from  cold  and 
exposure,  which  continued  for  five  days.  In  Feb.  1865  it  was 
in  the  battle  at  Hatcher's  Run,  among  the  killed  being  Lieut. 
J.  W.  Brook  of  Company  G.  The  Regiment  was  on  the  re- 
treat to  Appomattox  where  the  parole  list  shows  that  there 
was  left  of  Company  G  to  sign  the  Parole  List  Capt.  R.  P. 
Troy,  Segts.  J.  C.  Davis  and  T.  A.  Futrell,  Corporal  J.  G. 
Caviness,  and  Privates  W.  L.  Brower,  L.  Ferguson,  Sion 
Hill,  John  Hicks,  A.  M.  Ingold,  J.  A.  Leach,  E.  Thompson, 
J.  G.  Varnar,  W.  M.  Williams,  W.  J.  Caviness. 

The  next  Company  from  the  county  was  Company  B  52nd 
N.  C.  Regiment.  This  Regiment  was  commanded  in  succes- 
sion by  Capts.  Jas.  K.  Foulkes  and  Jesse  W.  Kyle.  This 
Company  was  raised  in  March  1862.  The  52nd  Regiment  was 
organized  at  Raleigh  in  April  1862,  James  K.  Marshall  being 
elected  colonel.  The  Regiment  was  assigned  to  the  brigade 


commanded  by  Gen.  J.  G.  Martin.  In  August  the  Regiment 
was  assigned  to  Pettigrew's  Brigade.  It  served  in  eastern 
North  Carolina  during  1832  and  was  in  the  battle  at 
Goldsboro  Dec.  17,  1862  where  it  was  temporarily  under 
the  command  of  Gen.  Clingman.  In  the  spring  of  1863  it 
was  in  the  attack  on  Washington,  N.  C.  and  in  the  advance 
on  New  Bern.  Early  in  May  1863  it  was  sent  to  the  army  in 
Northern  Virginia  where  Pettigrew's  Brigade  was  assigned 
to  Heath's  Division  A.  P.  Hill's  corps  and  as  such  it  took 
part  in  the  famous  Gettysburg  campaign.  Another  Regi- 
ment of  this  Brigade  was  the  26th  N.  C.  On  the  first  day's 
fight  at  Gettysburg  this  Brigade  was  terribly  cut  to  pieces. 
On  the  third  day  under  Pettigrew  it  was  in  the  famous 
assault  on  Cemetary  Ridge  in  which  the  North  Carolinians, 
as  has  been  proven,  went  farthest  to  the  front.  Without  in 
any  way  reflecting  upon  the  gallant  Virginians  who  ad- 
vanced under  Pickett's  command,  it  is  well  to  state  that  the 
losses  of  this  Brigade  alone  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  were 
more  than  that  sustained  by  all  4  Brigades  in  Pickett's 
Division.  On  the  retreat  at  Falling  Waters,  Gen.  Pettigrew 
was  killed  by  a  dash  of  the  enemy's  cavalry,  and  Kirkland 
was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  brigade.  Under  Kirk- 
land's  command  our  Randolph  Company  like  the  Randolph 
Company  in  the  38th  Regiment  under  Cooke  was  involved 
in  the  disastrous  repulse  at  Bristoe  Station.  It  was  also  at 
Mine  Run  in  Dec,  and  when  Grant  opened  his  campaign  in 
May  at  the  Wilderness  the  52nd  Regiment,  as  usual,  was  at 
the  front,  Capt.  Kyle,  being  among  the  wounded.  The 
Randolph  Company  in  the  52nd  Regiment  was  at  Spottsyl- 
vania  and  in  all  the  battles  as  Grant  was  moving  down  to 
the  James.  It  then  took  its  place  in  the  lines  around  Peters- 
burg. In  July,  Brigadier  Gen.  McRae  took  command  of  the 
Brigade  which  on  August  25  was  one  of  the  3  N.  C.  Brigades 
which  fought  in  the  battle  at  Reams'  Station.  Besides  the 
daily  fights  in  the  trenches,  this  Regiment  was  engaged 
in  the  larger  battles  at  Burgess'  Hills  Oct.  27,  1864,  and  at 
Hatcher's  Run  Feb.  5,  1865.  The  Regiment  was  in  the  final 
retreat  to  Appomattox  showing  its  native  gallantry  up  to 
the  last  moment.  The  Parole  List  at  Appomattox  shows  that 
there  was  then   left   of  the  Randolph   Company,   only   1st 


Lieut.  W.  D.  Kyle,  Corporal  A.  J.  Goins,  Privates  R.  Allred, 
A.  Hancock  and  W.  H.  Lamb. 

The  next  company  from  the  county  was  Company  F. 
Second  Battalion  commanded  successively  by  Capt.  T.  W. 
Andrews  who  was  promoted  to  lieut. -colonel  and  killed  at 
Gettysburg,  and  then  by  Capt.  John  M.  Hancock,  who 
became  Major;  he  was  wounded  at  Gettysburg  and  taken 
prisoner.  He  finally  died  in  '76  from  the  wound. 

This  company  was  organized  in  November,  1831,  and 
first  saw  service  around  Wilmington.  It  was  then  sent  to 
Roanoke  Island  where  it  was  included  in  the  surrender  to 
Gen.  Burnside,  February  8,  1862.  After  being  exchanged, 
the  battalion  in  August,  1862,  was  ordered  to  Drewry's 
Bluff  and  was  assigned  to  the  brigade  commanded  by  Gen. 
Junius  Daniel,  and  after  his  death  by  Gen.  Bryan  Grimes. 
Early  in  January,  1863,  it  was  sent  to  Eastern  North  Caro- 
lina, where  it  served  till  May,  1863,  when  it  was  ordered 
back  to  Virginia  and  attached  to  Rhodes'  division,  which 
comprised  the  three  North  Carolina  brigades  of  Ramseur, 
Daniel  and  Iverson,  and  Doles'  Georgia  brigade,  and  there 
was  no  better  division  in  the  whole  army.  This  company 
with  the  brigade  was  in  the  Gettysburg  campaign  and 
suffered  heavy  loss,  163  being  killed  and  wounded  in  this 
battalion  in  that  battle.  In  May,  1864,  it  was  at  the  terrific 
battle  of  the  Wilderness  and  Spottsylvania  and  faced  Grant 
almost  daily  down  to  the  James  where  it  took  its  place  in 
the  lines  around  Petersburg.  In  June,  1864,  this  brigade  was 
placed  in  Early's  corps  and  with  him  marched  up  the  Valley 
of  Virginia,  across  the  Potomac,  and  on  August  11,  1864, 
was  in  sight  of  the  capitol  at  Washington.  On  the  retreat 
down  the  Valley  it  was  in  the  great  battle  at  Winchester 
September  19,  1864,  when  Gen.  Ramseur  commanding  the 
division  was  killed.  The  brigade  resumed  its  place  in  the 
lines  around  Petersburg  and  participated  in  the  attack  on 
Hare's  Hill  March  25,  1835,  when  we  broke  the  enemy's 
lines  and  captured  Fort  Stedman. 

It  was  on  the  retreat  to  Appomattox  where  there  was  left 
to  sign  the  parole  list  of  Co.  F  Sergeants  Allen  Richardson, 
T.  H.  Dungan  and  M.  H.  Moffitt,  Privates  Geo.  Cagle,  G.  W. 


Cox,  J.  H.  Elberson,   L.  D.   Gordon,  J.  M.  Kenny,   Gideon 
Macon  and  Daniel  Rich. 

The  next  to  be  considered  is  the  half  of  Co.  H,  3rd  N.  C. 
Regiment  which  was  raised  in  May,  1861.  One  of  the 
captains  of  this  company  was  Swift  Galloway,  who  was  so 
well  known  in  North  Carolina  since  the  war  as  one  of  the 
ablest  solicitors.  These  men  served  in  the  3rd  regiment 
which  at  first  together  with  the  1st  North  Carolina  and  a 
Virginia  and  Arkansas  regiment  were  in  the  brigade 
commanded  by  John  G.  Walker.  It  afterwards  was  assigned 
to  Ripley's  brigade  which  was  composed  of  the  1st  and  3rd 
N.  C.  Regiments  and  the  4th  and  44th  Georgia  Regiments, 
and  as  such  were  engaged  at  Mechanicsville  in  May,  1862, 
and  in  the  famous  Seven  Days  fights  around  Richmond 
down  to  Malvern  Hill.  After  the  retreat  next  day  from 
Malvern  Hill,  where  our  army  suffered  such  terrible  and 
wholly  unnecessary  loss,  the  dead  of  the  1  and  3  N.  C. 
Regiments  were  found  nearest  to  the  enemy's  guns.  This 
Regiment  was  in  the  advance  into  Maryland  in  1862  and 
participated  in  the  battle  at  South  Mountain  14  Sept.  and 
at  Sharpsburg  17  Sept.  1862  where  Col.  W.  L.  DeRosett 
commanding  the  Regiment  was  severely  wounded,  and  the 
Regiment  in  the  Division  of  D.  H.  Hill  held  the  line  in  the 
Peach  Orchard  when  towards  the  last  the  men  were  placed 
5  feet  apart.  We  had  no  reenforcements  to  send  them.  There 
is  no  record  more  glorious  in  the  whole  war  than  that  of  the 
3  N.  C.  at  Sharpsburg.  The  Regiment  was  in  the  battle  at 
Fredericksburg  13  Dec.  1862.  In  May  1865  it  was  at 
Chancellorsville  under  Jackson  when  we  broke  the  enemy's 
lines  and  would  have  captured  his  army  but  for  the  fatal 
wounding  of  Gen.  Stonewall  Jackson  at  the  crisis  of  the 
victory.  In  June  1863  the  Brigade  then  being  commanded 
by  Gen.  Geo.  H.  Stewart,  was  in  the  Gettysburg  Campaign 
where,  like  the  rest  of  the  army,  its  losses  were  disastrous. 
It  was  in  Bristoe  and  Mine  Run  campaigns  in  the  Fall  and 
Winter  of  that  year.  In  May  1864  it  was  present  when 
Grant  opened  the  campaign  at  the  Wilderness.  The  3  N.  C. 
captured  two  pieces  of  artillery  and  100  prisoners.  On  12 
May  1864  it  was  at  the  Bloody  Angle  when  a  large  part  of 
the  Regiment  was  captured.  What  was  left  of  the  1  and  3 


N.  C.  Regiments  were  then  consolidated  and  assigned  to 
W.  R.  Cox's  N.  C.  Brigade.  These  were  the  last  two  N.  C. 
Regiments  which  had  not  till  then  been  placed  in  a  N.  C. 
Brigade.  The  3  N.  C.  was  in  all  the  battles  down  to  Peters- 
burg. In  June  1864  the  Brigade  was  assigned  to  Early's 
corps  and  with  it  marched  up  the  Valley,  across  the  Potomac, 
and  on  11  August  1864  was  in  sight  of  the  Capitol  at 
Washington.  On  the  retreat  it  was  in  the  battles  at  Win- 
chester 17  Aug.,  Charleston  21  Aug.,  Smithiield  29  Aug., 
Bunker  Hill  3  Sept.,  Winchester  19  Sept.  and  Fisher's  Hill 
22  Sept.  where  it  aided  to  cover  our  retreat.  It  was  present 
when  Gen.  Rhodes  commanding  the  Division  was  killed  and 
a  little  later  when  Ramseur  who  succeeded  him  also  fell.  In 
Feb.  1865  it  returned  to  the  lines  around  Petersburg  and  was 
in  the  long  retreat  to  Appomattox  where  the  only  man  of 
the  Company  from  Randolph  left  to  be  paroled  was  Zimri 
Williams. 

The  next  Company  from  Randolph  to  be  considered  was 
half  of  Company  E,  and  a  third  of  Company  H  in  the  44 
N.  C.  Regiment  one  of  whose  Captains  was  Chas.  M.  Sted- 
man,  afterwards  Major  of  the  Regiment  and  a  most  gallant 
officer,  who  since  the  war  has  been  Lieut. -Gov.  of  North 
Carolina,  and  is  now  a  member  of  Congress  from  Greensboro 
District.  This  Regiment  was  originally  organized  in  March 
1862  at  Raleigh  by  the  election  of  Geo.  B.  Singletary  as 
Colonel.  It  was  later  transferred  to  the  army  of  Northern 
Virginia  and  assigned  to  the  brigade  of  J.  Johnson  Petti- 
grew.  Under  his  command  they  saw  the  same  services 
which  I  mentioned  in  recounting  those  of  Company  B  in  the 
52nd  N.  C.  Regiment  which  belonged  to  that  Brigade. 

The  last  company  from  the  county  of  Randolph  was  Co. 
F  70th  N.  C.  Regiment.  These  were  Junior  Reserves  or 
17-year-old  boys.  This  company  was  raised  in  May,  1864, 
and  was  first  organized  into  a  battalion  of  five  companies 
which  did  me  the  honor  to  select  myself  as  its  major.  A 
month  later  at  Weldon,  it  was  organized  as  the  70th  N.  C. 
Regiment,  and  as  such  rendered  service  in  Eastern  North 
Carolina.  Early  in  December  it  was  assigned  to  a  brigade. 
Under  the  law  these  young  troops  could  not  be  ordered  out 
of  the  State,  but  upon  learning  of  the  raid  of  Warren's 


corps  against  Bellfield,  Va.,  to  destroy  our  railroad  com- 
munication, this  entire  brigade  volunteered  to  a  man  to  go 
to  Virginia  and  reached  Bellfield  on  the  8th  of  December, 
where  it  aided  the  troops  which  were  sent  from  Petersburg, 
among  them  the  Randolph  companies  1  have  already 
mentioned,  to  drive  back  the  enemy.  Upon  its  return  to 
North  Carolina,  this  regiment  was  in  the  skirmish  at 
Butler's  bridge  near  Hamilton,  December  22nd,  and  on 
Christmas  day  it  engaged  the  Federal  gunboats  at  Poplar 
Point  on  their  way  to  assault  Fort  Branch,  near  Hamilton. 
The  Junior  Reserve  Brigade  composed  of  three  regiments 
and  a  battalion  were  placed  under  Col.  Nethercutt  and 
assigned  to  Hoke's  Division  and  as  such  were  engaged  in 
the  battle  at  Southwest  Creek,  four  miles  below  Kinston, 
on  March  8,  1865,  when  we  met  and  drove  back  Schoolfield's 
army  which  was  advancing  from  New  Bern,  and  where 
Hoke's  Division  captured  2,000  prisoners.  Falling  back  to 
join  Johnston's  army,  Hoke's  Division,  including  the  Junior 
Reserve  brigade,  was  assigned  to  Hardee's  corps  under 
Joseph  E.  Johnston,  and  met  Sherman's  army  at  Bentonville. 
There  we  were  engaged  for  three  successive  days,  the  19th, 
20th  and  21st  of  March.  There  these  boys  were  fighting 
side  by  side  with  the  veterans  of  four  years  from  the  army 
of  Northern  Virginia  under  Hoke,  Kirkland  and  others,  and 
with  the  veterans  of  the  army  of  the  West,  displayed 
brilliant  courage  and  were  the  equals  of  the  best  troops  in 
the  line. 

On  6  May,  1865  at  Michener's  Depot  near  Selma,  the 
last  great  review  of  a  Confederate  army  was  held,  for  Lee's 
army,  unknown  to  us,  was  in  the  toils,  and  in  daily  grapple 
with  the  enemy  on  its  retreat  to  Appomattox.  On  that  day 
Gov.  Vance  came  down  from  Raleigh  and  as  the  army  passed 
in  review  it  presented  a  brave  appearance,  and  its  un- 
diminished enthusiasm  proved  it  was  still  full  of  fight.  On 
April  10  we  began  our  retreat,  the  day  after  Lee's  sur- 
render, though  that  fact  was  then  unknown  to  us.  We 
passed  through  Raleigh  on  the  12th  where  some  rumors  of 
Lee's  surrender  were  circulated  among  the  higher  officers. 
We  marched  through  Chapel  Hill,  by  the  Alamance  Battle 


Ground,  and  encamped  at  Red  Cross  where  we  heard  of 
Johnson's  abortive  agreement  with  Sherman  which  Lincoln 
repudiated.  Later  on  26  April  Johnson  surrendered,  and  on 
2  May  more  than  3  weeks  after  Lee's  surrender  at  Bush 
Hill,  now  Archdale,  near  old  Trinity,  we  stacked  arms, 
signed  the  Parole  List,  and  dispersed  to  our  homes.  The 
mules  and  horses  were  divided  among  the  officers  and  men 
without  reference  to  rank,  and  what  little  Confederate 
specie  was  in  the  army  chest  was  divided  in  the  same 
manner.  Every  man  from  General  down  to  Private  received 
a  Mexican  silver  dollar  and  25  cents  in  U.  S.  silver.  I  have 
my  $1.25  yet — the  money  that  would  ever  stick  to  my 
fingers. 

There  were  many  other  Randolph  men  who  were  scattered 
through  the  other  Regiments  in  the  army,  but  to  take  up 
the  record  of  their  services  would  be  to  go  over  the  history 
of  nearly  every  Regiment  which  North  Carolina  sent  to 
the  Great  War. 

From  what  I  have  already  said,  it  will  be  seen  that  from 
the  very  beginning  of  the  war  to  its  close,  wherever  there 
were  hardships  to  be  endured,  sufferings  to  be  borne  and 
hard  fighting  to  be  done  there  the  county  of  Randolph  was 
represented,  and  represented  with  honor,  in  the  persons  of 
her  gallant  sons. 

This  Monument  which  has  been  erected  by  the  patriotic 
efforts  of  the  women  of  this  great  county  does  credit  to 
them  as  well  as  to  the  gallant  men  whose  memory  it  is 
intended  to  perpetuate. 

Such  is  the  brief  story  of  the  Confederate  Soldiers  of 
your  county.  A  whole  volume  could  not  narrate  adequately 
all  that  each  company  did  that  deserves  to  be  recorded.  Nor 
have  I  time  to  pay  tribute  to  particular  soldiers.  This  county 
furnished  many  splendid  officers  who  would  have  been  an 
honor  to  any  army.  I  might  tell  of  their  courage,  their 
devotion  to  duty,  their  tender  care  of  their  men.  I  might 
too  tell  the  story  of  many  a  private  who  leaving  his  humble 
home,  endured  for  months  and  years  every  hardship,  faced 
disease,  danger  and  death  with  an  equal  countenance, 
fulfilling  every  duty,  and  rising  almost  unknown  to  himself, 


to  the  highest  and  fullest  measurement  of  a  man.  Many 
such  there  were  from  your  county  and  from  all  over  the 
South.  They  wore  no  stars  or  bars  of  official  rank,  their 
name  filled  no  bugle  blast  of  fame.  Faithfully  they  lived 
hidden  lives  and  too  often  they  fill  unknown  graves,  but 
when  the  final  balance  is  struck  by  the  hand  that  never  errs 
their  names  shall  lead  all  the  rest. 

The  monuments  which  the  fair  hands  of  our  women  have 
caused  to  be  raised  to  the  memory  of  the  Confederate 
soldiers  are  not  the  only  ones.  The  enemy,  in  a  sad  sincerity, 
have  erected  a  far  more  costly  one.  In  1900,  the  pension 
rolls  showed  that  more  than  1,000,000  soldiers  were  then 
drawing  pay  from  the  government,  for  the  reason  sworn  to 
by  every  one  of  them,  and  the  fact  found  to  be  true  on 
official  examination,  that  you,  Confederate  soldiers,  had 
wounded  and  crippled  him  or  had  made  him  very  sick, 
permanently  sick,  in  fact.  As  there  were  first  and  last  but 
600,000  of  you,  some  of  whom  were  killed  and  wounded, 
you  must  have  given  the  enemy  what  the  Irish  called  a 
"Perfectly  ilegant  time." 

Since  the  war,  this  country  has  paid  in  pensions  and  to 
Soldiers  Homes  for  Federal  soldiers,  altogether  4  thousand 
millions  of  dollars,  of  this,  one-third,  1,300  million  dollars 
have  been  paid  by  the  South  and  of  that  over  100  millions 
has  been  paid  by  the  people  of  this  State.  As  nearly  all  this 
goes  North  this  has  aided  vastly  to  keep  us  poor  in  our 
poverty.  The  South  has  paid  a  far  heavier  War  Indemnity 
than  France  paid  to  Germany.  The  U.  S.  pension  list  has 
been  padded  extravagantly  to  keep  up  an  excuse  for  a  high 
tariff. 

The  soldiers  who  fought  for  the  Northern  States  have 
been  rewarded.  Those  of  the  Southern  States  have  received 
only  what  we  in  our  poverty  could  do  for  them.  The  North 
has  shown  neither  generosity  nor  magnanimity — not  even 
moderation  in  this. 

My  review  of  the  record  of  the  soldiers  of  Randolph  has 
been  necessarily  brief  and  imperfect.  May  I  not  suggest 
that  before  it  is  too  late,  some  son  or  daughter  of  your 
county  should  write  the  story  of  the  soldiers  from  Randolph 


in  the  Great  War,  where  they  went  and  what  they  did.  Such 
writer  could  take  the  official  reports  and  from  the  lips  of 
these  veterans  take  down  the  living  details  which  will  add 
the  dry  narrative  with  life  and  color  complexion,  and 
breathe  into  it  the  breath  of  life.  When  the  work  is  done,  it 
will  reflect  eternal  honor  on  the  county  and  the  people  that 
could  furnish  such  soldiers  and  on  the  loving  hands  that 
thus  shall  record  Great  Deeds  Nobly  Done. 


MECKLENBURG  DECLARATION  AND  STATE  MOTTO 

Raleigh,  N.  C. 
Editor  Greensboro  News  31  May,  1922 

Greensboro,  N.  C. 

Dear  Sir: 

I  notice  in  your  issue  of  the  29th  an  editorial  denying  the  authenticity 
of  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  which  concludes  with  the  following 
paragraph: 

"Our  State  history  is  glorious  enough  without  blemishing  it  with  a 
preposterous  mistake,  which  everybody  who  has  studied  the  subject 
now  knows  was  fixed  on  our  flag  and  seal  by  a  wandering  faker  for 
his  financial  profit." 

I  do  not  wish  to  enter  into  the  controversy  on  the  subject  of  the  date 
of  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration,  which  was  fully  examined  into  by  the 
Legislature  of  1830  when  many  of  the  participants  of  that  memorable 
meeting  were  still  alive  and  the  Legislature  set  forth  the  facts  and 
published  them  to  the  world.  But  I  ought  not  to  let  this  occasion  pass 
without  calling  attention  to  the  paragraph  in  the  editorial  above  quoted 
which  certainly  is  the  most  imaginative  fiction.  In  the  "Booklet"  for 
1909,  Vol.  9,  p.  179,  there  is  an  article  written  by  myself,  entitled,  "Our 
State  Motto  and  its  Origin,"  which  traced  its  history  back  through  the 
centuries  to  Aeschylus  and  his  drama,  "The  Seven  Before  Thebes,"  and 
at  the  conclusion  of  that  article  on  p.  182  the  editors,  who  were  Miss 
Mary  Hilliard  Hinton  and  Mrs.  E.  E.  Moffitt,  saw  fit  to  add  the  following: 

"Note  by  the  Editors. — The  bill  which  was  passed  in  1893  to  adopt 
our  State  Motto  was  introduced  by  Senator  Jacob  Battle,  of  Nash, 
afterwards  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court.  We  have  before  us  a  letter 
from  him  in  which  he  states  that  the  motto  was  selected  by  Judge  — 
since  Chief  Justice  —  Walter  Clark,  who  also  drew  the  bill  and 
requested  him  to  present  it.  He  adds  that  the  words  '20  May,  1775', 
secured  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  Senator  Brevard  McDowell 
of  Mecklenburg,  and  by  their  joint  efforts  the  bill  passed  the  un- 
animous vote  of  both  houses  of  the  General  Assembly  and  without 
amendment." 

The  Act  in  question  was  Chapter  145,  Laws  1893,  Now  Consolidated 
Statutes,  Sec.  7536.  That  statute  was  drawn  by  myself  as  stated  in  Judge 
Battle's  letter,  quoted  by  the  Booklet  and  I  never  heard  of  any  faker 
being  in  any  way  connected  with  it.  It  was  drawn  after  conference  with 
Mr.  McDowell  and  Judge  Battle  and  others  who  championed  its  passage, 
and  it  was  enacted  by  a  unanimous  vote  in  both  branches  of  the  Legis- 
lature, acting  doubtless  upon  the  faith  of  the  Act  of  the  General  As- 
sembly of  1830  which  investigated  the  matter  and  issued  a  pamphlet 
setting  forth  the  facts  as  they  found  them  to  be. 

The  dates,  May  20,  1775  and  April  12,  1776,  were  put  on  the  flag,  I 
think  in  1861.  It  certainly  was  enacted  by  Chapter  291,  Laws  1885,  now 
Consolidated  Statutes  7535.  If  the  Legislature  of  1830,  1861,  1885  and  1893 
were  all  grossly  mistaken,  it  is  very  certain  that  their  action  must  be 
condemned  by  a  greater  authority  than  the  fiction  set  out  in  the  para- 
graph referred  to,  that  it  is  now  known  that  they  (the  dates)  "were  fixed 
on  our  flag  and  seal  by  a  wandering  faker  for  his  financial  profit." 

Those  who  now  attack  the  authenticity  of  the  Declaration  and  the  good 
faith  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1830,  should  not  resort  to  undoubted 
fiction  to  overthrow  it.  I  have  no  idea  that  anyone  connected  with  your 
office  wrote  that  purely  imaginative  paragraph.  A  faker  that  could  thus 
control  the  General  Assemblies  of  1830,  1861,  1885  and  1893  must  have 
been  a  vertible  "Wandering  Jew." 

Most  Respectfully 

Walter  Clark 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00032732785 

FOR  USE  ONLY  IN 
THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


